I love scissors and can hardly get out of a needlework shop without a pair....but for me the holes are just too small to be comfortable.... between farm work and arthritis my hands and knuckles are always sore and swollen... Somewhere I had read that the very best scissors for arthritic hands were the scissors made for tying flies because the holes were large enough for men's fingers... So today I stopped at a famous sporting goods store and bought a pair of Dr. Slick Tungsten Carbide Scissors (pictured in the center) and you can see the difference in the size of the finger holes.. They are extremely sharp and excellent quality and are sooooo comfortable... They had several blade sizes and styles but I chose these because the tension was adjustable..I was curious about how Allie pieced out her blocks to get a 10" block and she was kind enough to send this reply: "As to the size of the blocks, there are 5 rows of 5 blocks each, so that is of course 25 blocks in all. I probably used foundation muslin that was 14" X 14" per block, pieced it out to 12" or so, trimmed them to 11" X 11", and then sewed them with a 1/2" seam allowance. Always it is good to piece way bigger than the finished block size to allow for wiggle room when trimming." That is pretty much what I do but since I tend to just work on single blocks, I will have to be a little more careful measuring for multiple blocks that need to be consistent.
I'm still determined to keep my quilt to nine 11" blocks... I had dozens of pictures in my suffragette file and have narrowed it down to 27 and still have to cut that down farther... it's close though.... Some I can use smaller and group 2 or 3 on a block.
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6 comments:
Good information on the scissors. Thanks. I have been using Fiskars Comfort Grip Micro-tip.
Thanks for blogging the process on this quilt. Inspiring and helpful. Do you know Melissa at http://honeybeesbliss.blogspot.com/
She blogged her Fairy Treasure quilt.
Scissors that I love are Tim Holtz "Tonic Scissors". They are self sharping, have padded handles, and large finger holes. They are about $14.00 reg priced, but if you use a Michaels crafts sale coupon, you can get them for half or 40% off. You may still need some of the tiny scissors for some of you needle work, but these tonic ones are great for MANY projects! I gave a pair to my Mom who has arthritis and she loves them, as do I.
Interesting scissors info; I had no idea that the finger holes could vary so much. Thanks, too, for the update on Allie's prizewinner. I follow her blog also but don't think she'd mentioned the contest result. Enjoy your blog and knowing you're a fellow WA resident!
Hi Gerry
Good news on Allie but it should have been a first. I can't picture anything being much better. I too followed her all the way through and she is amazing.
Thanks for the advice on the scissors. There is a large fishing place in orlando and next time we are in the area I will stop and have a look see.
Hugs
FredaB
Gerry- I am glad to learn that I am not the only one with a little scissor fetish !
I just absolutely am drawn to them : )
I am looking forward to your seam treatment journey this winter!
Joan
Who knew that fly tie-ers had great scissors??? Too cool!! and 27 suffragette photos is a LOT. Looking forward to this quilt, my dear...
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